Desert Lies
by Sugarsnaps me
Summary: She is not what the rest of the world believes she is, what Bella works with is far more dangerous than being a war correspondent. What happens when a gorgeous man adds to that danger by falling in love with her? AH, E/B, M
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Okay, here we go – when it comes to this story, I will be hiding behind a giant ass paper with the name "Artistic License" printed on it! This is pure fiction and I've simply borrowed SM's characters and messed them up with my unbelievably odd head with a hint of OCD. Actually more like a ladle with OCD.

I will stretch boundaries, such as mined fields and technology. Just a warning. Have faith in me and do not believe a word I write about the workings of the… um… inner government circle. F-I-C-T-I-O-N. Spelled right and everything.

And oh, by the way, I hope that you like it! ;) - It's not beta'ed so all mistakes are mine.

**-** _Soph_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

They had all seen her grace the screen in their living room or the paper lying on their breakfast table, a blurred picture of her long, brown hair tossed up in a haphazard ponytail, a streak of dirt across her sweaty face and a white, stained tank top matched with cargo pants and sturdy boots. The word among the population of most English speaking countries was that she was a "war correspondent" off in foreign countries to share the whereabouts with them while they sat at home, drinking coffee and having a bagel.

This was, after all what they were meant to believe. If they had known the true core of Isabella Swan's job, they might not have taken it sitting down; they might have tipped their cup, spilling coffee over the newspaper and dropped their bagel for the dog to eat.

However, she was just a subtle beauty who stood with her back to the chaos and eyes to the camera as a building blew up, a crossfire made men fall and the occasional tornado ripped past. She was the oxymoron, absolutely irresponsible stupidity meets mysteriously and wickedly sexy. This was how she was spoken about, something dangerous made her appealable. For how can a woman drawn to danger not have the slight sex appeal, after all?

War correspondent. No, this wasn't exactly Isabella Swan's job. Nor the job of the four people who knew her better than anybody else in the world.

Now, as she stepped out of the cabin, the sun already bright in the sky and assaulting her eyes, the air hot and dry, slapping her in the face and the dust raising in a thick cloud around the vehicle that closed in, she was not on her way to a traumatic scene that was to be filmed. Sure, she would be in front of a camera all day but in an entirely different way. Seth could not and would not be stopped. She almost smiled at this thought but it grew bigger and softer as the children from yesterday's game had come to sit on the roof of a nearby house, waving at her.

She would spend four more days here, then wait in New York for ten days before they headed off again. This time, it would be longer than the six months she had spent in this location. This time, they were heading back to where they came from and probably staying there for just as long… if not longer. Bella feared that they would spend more than a year there. This time, they hoped to bring it to an end.

It wasn't as if Bella and her team was the first to try this, she was one of many in the row of people who had tried to bring down this organization, but they couldn't stay there for more than a couple of years at the time, especially since she officially was hired of _Black News_ in New York. Her whole team was officially with the news crew… unofficially? Not so much.

Bella stretched her arms over her head and then brought her arms down to her sides, shaking out her hands before she took off running. Her feet instantly found her normal way of running, placing each for straight down and then rolling off, providing her with a confident stride as she moved against the village, the road that meandered between fallen down buildings was perfect for many purposes. She could not just walk around as she pleased but while jogging, she tended to look harmless, a rather small woman just out for a jog, she was _touchable_ and even though it had taken Bella some time to convince herself that she was prepared from now on, it was a good thing. People in the village slowly started to try to communicate with her, children ran around her and played. Bella was not as frightening as when she brought all the equipment and two giant men plus the other two.

The heat was not as bad now in the morning, and definitely not as bad as it was where she was going after New York, but she definitely had to use the water bottle tied to her hip.

Emmett grinned at her as she passed, he had bits and pieces of a microphone spread out on a sheet that he had tossed over a foldup table. He was already glistering with sweat, his skin tanned by the sun and Bella guessed that he had already finished his routine, in distance, she could hear the children laugh – it always astonished her how much spirit they managed to have even in a crisis. She passed a woman with distress in her eyes but the little girl holding her hand was smiling shyly with curiosity as Bella ran past them, a warm smile planted on her lips.

Few trees were scattered around the small village where they had spent the past six months, the rebuilding of the school was finally done – unconsciously Bella bent down a bit, while still running, and swatted her hand in direction of her right hamstring. Then she shook her head as she realized what she was doing. She was since long healed and now even running her usual five miles every day. Renee could at least never again call her 'my chubby little chicken' – that was officially over. The pudgy, quiet and scared Bella that had she had been from the age of twelve to nineteen was now replaced by a confident, happy and brave girl who finally had people who loved her the right way in her life.

She moved in a sturdy pace, but in the back of her mind, she couldn't wait to run over the field again, something about that danger kept her alive, kept reminding her of how much she had to loose these days, not like before.

Growing up had not been easy on her, but now, Bella had a purpose.

It was sick, how much Bella was suddenly looking forward to getting back there, but she needed to finish it. After what had happened on April the twenty-fifth, two years ago, you would think that she never wanted back again. However, this time, if more lives were lost, she would make sure that she was one of them. It was now or never in her case, ever since they became personally involved a few weeks ago, none of them would give up.

How Emmett still managed to smile, she had no idea.

«O»

Panting, Bella sank down on a chair next to Emmett, leaning the back of her head against his hip as he worked. "What are you up to, Em?" She closed her eyes against the abrasive sun and let her body relax.

It was soothing to be close to her people, her mind tended to drift as she ran, it was something therapeutic about it, however, sometimes it became too much. Now she needed to cool off in more ways than one.

"How was your run Bells?" Sam walked up to them with Seth in his heals, camera planted in front of the younger man's nose. Bella shaded her eyes with the help of her hands as she watched them come closer and then gave them a thumbs up. Sam then turned to Emmett's project and frowned. "Did you figure it out?" he asked and put his hands on the table, leaning down on them and then he chuckled as the damned thing squeaked in protest.

Emmett playfully glared at him but a smile played over his lips, teasing until they tugged upwards. "Break my table and I'll break your nose, Uley!"

"Oh, I would _love_ to see you give that another shot!" Sam laughed heartedly and Bella shook her head as it bounced against Emmett's hip, laughter ripped through him too, his whole body was feeling it and by extension, Bella too.

Both Sam and Emmett were of an impressive height, both over six-feet-two-inches and packed with more muscle than should be natural. Seth who was fairly lean looked down right emaciated next to them.

Far away, children screamed in their games, somewhere a dog barked – everybody glanced at Bella with a knowing smirk now – but if you listened closely, you could hear the human shaped snakes that meandered through the grass. The group was always under surveillance, always suspects. Always _guilty_ until proven differently.

"I'm not as scrawny as I used to be," he said and plucked a small piece of metal up from the table, trying to fasten it to another. "And I'm trying to make Carlisle happy here, but so far, it's not working very good." He smirked and shook his head.

"When were you ever _scrawny_?" asked Seth, the newest addition to their team, and sank down on a chair, zooming in on the pieces in front of them. "I feel really sorry for your mothers!" he then added and leaned forward, poking a small piece of spring, then he put it up and pressed down on it, filming it as it bounced away when he let go.

"_Your_ bones won't be hard to break, though," Emmett muttered as Seth sheepishly picked up the spring from the ground and put it back as if it was the most precious thing he had ever touched.

"Geez," a clear, feminine voice rang out from the hut about twenty years from them, "Did you eat pure testosterone for breakfast, Em?" Alice asked and walked towards them with a yawn before planting herself in Seth's lap and hugging his head, he circled his arms around her to be able to keep on filming.

"Hey Squirt," Emmett said and finally took the spring off the table with a pointed glare straight into the camera as he put it in the mike. With a victorious grin, he held up the finished piece. "This shit isn't working!" he said with a smirk. He found incredibly joy in pissing off the men in DC and frankly, Bella couldn't blame him at the moment.

Now that they all were gathered, Sam sat down, too, snatching up Seth's camera and turning it off, then he turned to Bella with a serious face. "Did you speak to them?"

She shook her head and gestured towards the hut where she had left the satellite phone under her bunk. "Nah, he said noon and I won't sit around and wait for him to get out of his king-sized bed just _in case_." She shrugged and spun around, putting her elbows on the table and Emmett sunk down next to her.

"You tell 'em, Bells." He sighed and grabbed Bella's hand under the table. "How are ya, Squirt?" he then asked and smiled sadly at Alice who shook her head. None of them really spoke of Alice's dreams, the girl had been suffering from nightmares for the past year and usually, she only let someone hug her until she was boosted up again, today it was Seth who took this task as he enveloped her in his tanned arms.

"Two weeks?" Seth asked with a slight frown over Alice's head, she was tiny but forceful, but now she looked as worn as the rest of them. As Bella nodded, he bobbed his head too and glanced at Sam. They were all close, but Seth worshiped the ground Sam walked on, Seth was five years younger than Bella and Alice, a good seven years younger than Emmett but Sam had been in the 'game' the longest, he was old at the age of thirty-five when it came to knowledge. "Have you spoken to Jake?" Seth asked then and suddenly the energy around the table became lighter and more carefree as they automatically chuckled.

Bella's chuckle broke into laugher and she folded her arms over her chest. "Yeah, he's not happy about the news coming his way, I tell you. I thought his head was going to explode when they told him that I was going off air for the most part." She grinned widely. Jacob Black was the producer and director of _Black News_ and had taken it upon himself to boss them around, even hundreds of miles away, he was a giant pain in the ass. "I spoke to Rose yesterday and she said that his head was about to explode when he walked out of his office after speaking to Hem."

"Aww, that would mess up the ponytail!" Alice laughed with her usual snort at the end, they all knew that Jacob was losing his hair at a fairly young age and had started wearing a long ponytail at the back of his head for compensation. "Seriously, soon he'll be buying a sports car – it would be cheaper to just stuff a sock in it."

The men shook their heads while grinning sadly, obviously feeling a bit bad for the mentioned while Alice and Bella laughed. Sam's head was filled with thick and dark hair, just as Emmett's and Seth's. They were blessed with good genes, obviously. Bella reached up and ruffled Emmett's and then fingered the scruff that clad his chin and cheeks. "It's time to do the macho man thing with the knife again, 'cause if you use my razor, I'll make sure that you _have_ to stuff a sock down there."

"Ouch!" Emmett pretended to cover himself and feigned wide, fearful eyes.

Seth buried his face in Alice's short hair and laughed while Sam just got up and clapped Emmett on his shoulder. "Maybe the world would be a better place that way, anyhow."

"Stop talking about the family-jewels, I'll make sure that this comes back to Carlisle otherwise – what would he say Bella?" Emmett gave her a schooling look. "Maybe he even reassigns James before we get out there."

This time a punch landed on Emmett's shoulder but it was Bella who shook her hand and then cradled it against her chest, glaring at Emmett who now smirked happily.

Finally, Bella's eyes landed on the jeep that was parked near their camp, the one that had arrived earlier before she took off. Nodding towards it, she asked in a quiet voice, "Who is that?" It was an army vehicle that they were all too familiar with.

Sam who stood behind Emmett, still, crossed his arms too. "They seem to be… eager for us to take off. Nobody likes journalists, after all." Sam chuckled darkly. "Two of them went into the house as usual – my guess is that they are cooking a hell of a lot more than food in that kitchen." He took a seat again and then leaned forward, clasping his hands behind his neck. "The way they've been running in and out of there for the past six months, you would think that it's a meth lab."

Alice moved her jaw back and forth a few times before she looked over Seth's shoulder towards the house. "Base? Because frankly, my guess is that they are here because of us. Like you said, journalists can be a pain in the ass," she grinned. "Can't trust 'em, after all. Slimy bastards." She slipped off Seth's lap and sat down across the table from Bella. "Out of all the houses in this village, that's the only one no family has ever entered and it's after all the only one close to us, why do you think the kids have to climb the roof to see us?"

Nodding, Bella sighed. "Doesn't matter now, does it? We're flying out in a few days – got her locked and loaded already, Seth?" she asked and the young man nodded vehemently, a smile dragging from ear to ear.

"I can't wait to get back home for a few days." His gaze got glazed over and it didn't take a genius to figure out that he was thinking about his family back home. Even though he was the youngest of them, Set was the one with a six month old baby he had never seen and a wife. The rest of them only had parents if not even that waiting.

"I guess the two of you are heading to New York, then?" Alice looked at Bella and Emmett knowingly, their usual routine was locked down by now. The both of them sighed but nodded. "You do after all need to show your face in the studio," she said to Bella. "And you!" Alice pointed to Emmett. "Gonna spy on that poor girl some more?"

"Fuck off, Squirt."

Alice laughed and then punched Sam's shoulder, "DC?" He nodded courtly, none of them said more about the subject after that. Sam's past was… sensitive. He would throw himself into work in DC for the eight days before they regrouped and met up to take off again. Sam would work and visit the cemetery, like always.

Bella stood as a man she had been waiting for waved her over from fifty yards away, he was constantly checking over his shoulder – especially towards the car parked outside the house, and tapping his thigh with one hand. His nerves were shining clear and even with his almost balled head, he went up to pull on the little hair he had left.

As she came closer and stood in front of him, her teammates just exchanged the usual glances and shrugs. As she seemingly calmed him down and handed him the usual small piece of paper, closing his fingers around it with both of her hands, his eyes widened – as they did for all the people she did this for – and then he nodded vigorously.

And that was it.

All of them slipped into their own bubble after that, needing to remember home – or the hotel room that would symbolize that for a few days – where they wasn't shuffled in the direction of danger. Nevertheless, it wasn't the salvation you would believe for these five people lived to be near the danger, they simply didn't know who they were without it. All of them came from odd pasts except for Seth, all them had found family in each other that they hadn't been offered anywhere else or that they had lost.

«O»

"Oh, for crying out loud!" Sam's forehead fell against his arms folded on the table as they listened to Carlisle's slightly hysterical rant. Emmett's face was stoic, they all knew that anger was boiling under the surface but for now, he managed to keep it in with an enormous pressure on Alice's small hand. She acted as if she couldn't feel a thing as her friend – brother for all purposes – held her hand as if it was his life riding on it.

Seth sat with his feet on the table, leaned back on the hind legs of the chair with both of his arms covering his face. Bella was leaned forward, hands gripping her hair right over her forehead as she tried to keep it together. All of them were minutes away from hanging up the damned thing on their boss as he went on and on. 'Drop the ball like last time' had been mentioned several times during the past half-hour and Bella sank deeper and deeper into the foldable chair.

"Professionals – that's what you are supposed to be. None of you have had the proper training-"

"What am I? Damaged goods?" Sam muttered into the table, for he had been highly ranked in the military before joining Carlisle and his team. The rest of them – with an exception of Seth – had all training. Maybe not the same as Carlisle, which apparently was the 'proper' one, but they had been doing this for long.

"- and if you fuck up that thoroughly again, I will personally c-"

This was when Alice finally had enough. She stood up forcefully and slammed her free hand into the table, her eyes sang murder and her voice held a lilt of danger as she exploded. "Well, if you think we are so incapable of handling _your_ shit, Carlisle, then I suggest that you actually do go there _personally_! It's not like your conceited, pale ass wouldn't benefit to get out of that demure of yours!"

This wasn't unusual, Alice was known for her temper and they usually had good money riding on her being the first one to crack and explode all over Carlisle's shit.

"Easy, Al," Bella said quietly and reached over Emmett to touch Alice gingerly on the arm, giving her some strength.

"Miss Brandon!" Carlisle snapped. "If you can't keep yourself in check, maybe it would be beneficial for you to stay in Chicago and I'll find someone to replace you with." He kept berating them for a few moments but they all knew that he had no one better than Alice and therefore the shorter of the two girls just rolled her eyes and sat back down, putting her head on Emmett's shoulder. "I can't have any of you bristle because of stress!" Carlisle finally shouted and made all of them snort in union.

"Carlisle," Bella said softly and rubbed her temples, in this moment, she was _Isabella Swan_. "If you are done, I would like to move on to what's really important."

"Yeah, like, is James still assigned there?" Seth whispered in his best girly voice and blinked his eyes at Bella who rolled her eyes, she had no secrets when it came to her friends and James was definitely not one.

"You will go there in your usual manner, they are ready to get you in the air on the twenty-seventh, you will most definitely be in place on the first of March. The situation has… changed." Finally, Carlisle showed some humanity by softening his voice as everybody in the team tried to avoid looking at Emmett. "We have counted the captives to fifty-three and I need you to locate the man _himself_."

"Shit…" Seth groaned into his arms, leaning even further back on the chair that was threatening to give in under his weight. He was usually a gregarious man who could talk all hours of the year, but he had never expected to end up with the job he had, therefore he barely got a word out when they discussed more serious matters. He did what needed to be done and then forgot that it had happened.

Carlisle wasn't going as strong as before. "We have no signs of the prisoners…" he inhaled sharply as Emmett turned to stone next to Bella. "Yet," Carlisle finally added, he sounded almost pensive as he then said, "They seem to keep them just out… periphery… we know for sure who has them because the bastard has no shame."

Bella inhaled slowly and then exhaled, trying to clear her head. "What do you need us to do?"

"Just… what you always do. Information. No rushed decisions without talking to me, remember this, McCarty," Carlisle addressed Emmett personally. "You are informants, and you do have a cover to keep. Get information, _all of it_, and then you let the big boys handle it." He sounded as if he was speaking to children, the pathos in his voice long gone.

"What about Black?" Sam wondered and sat up, staring at the phone between them all, they each had an earpiece to exclude those who wasn't in their team, Alice kept glancing towards the house where military men kept coming and going. She had suggested that it was a 'happy hour house' that was open twenty-four/seven, but none of them had seen anything but military women go in and out.

"I have Hem on his ass, Mr. Black doesn't really understand why you are heading where you are, but since it's technically a warzone and things are happening there, he will get his stories." Carlisle spoke to someone in the background and then came back to them. "I want to know where, when and fucking who – we need proof, Swan. You know how he is-" Bella visibly flinched this time "- and I don't want any more fuckups – don't get shot, don't get irresponsible and for goodness sake do not, and I repeat _not_ let him put a bullseye on your head again.

"Whenever it gets to be too much, back off and regroup. I don't care if you have to do drugs to calm your ass off-"

"Sounds _responsible_." Alice rolled her eyes and tried to smile to lighten the mood.

"- but do not walk home alone and when people are shooting, don't let them hit you. The last time people in that damned town learned a whole string of English words, Miss Swan, and they were _not_ nice ones." He almost sounded as if he was smiling and her team sure did, Bella unconsciously touched her hamstring once again. "None of you are paid to be heroes and you sure as hell aren't paid to defend _any_ country physically.

"What you are paid to do, however, is to show on the ball the bastard throws each year to rub our noses in it. Talk to everybody, but you are officially there as a newsgroup, nothing more and nothing less. Do whatever it takes to get the job done _right_."

"We have been doing this for a while now, Carlisle, it's not as if we fuck up on purpose," Alice muttered, this time loud enough for him to hear.

"Then I suggest you start acting that way, Brandon."

Bella finally held her hand over the 'end' button on the satellite phone that was placed in the middle of the table. "Are we done?"

"Don't disappoint me."

And that was it, here was where their connection was cut from Washington's end before Bella could even think to move her finger. "Nice talking to you, chief," she muttered and pocketed the battery from the phone, this had become a habit of hers.

"Ah, I've missed that moody bastard." Seth rubbed his eyes and yawned as he let the chair fall back with a 'thump' against the dry ground.

"Yeah, he sure brightened my day. I'm gonna get my things ready for ya' Bells." Sam groaned and stood, swinging his arms in and out before clapping his hands together and shaking his head before walking off with the words, "Indulged son of a-"

"I'm gonna go and see if I can get that last interview, you okay Em?" Bella asked as she stood, meeting Emmett's eyes. His jaw was hard but he started to relax now that they had hung up.

He bobbed his head, released Alice and kissed her hair before he forced to show those dimples with a smile. "Sure, let's do this thing and then get the hell out of dodge."

**«O»**

Bella smiled gently at the old man. "Then how is it to live here?" she asked him as she gripped his hand, Emmett sat by her side, officially assigned as her 'bodyguard'. "It mustn't be the…" she bit her lip for a moment, these were the moments she slipped up. The one on ones with people suffering. The old man lacked most of his teeth, his tanned skin was leathered and wrinkly and his eyes expressed knowledge and kindness to a level where it sent tears to her eyes and shivers down her spine.

The old man waited for Alice to translate and then he gave a soft smile to Bella and sat up taller in his chair, they were on the porch of a rotten, falling house, the sun still hot and bright in the sky, drying water from everything that could offer. The ground was cracked and almost orange, the little grass they could spot brown and crisp. There was one tree, a stark contrast of green against everything else, standing in front of the house and even though the roof had holes in it, the tree provided them with shade. Of course, this did not do much for the heat but the old man had insisted that they would sit outside.

"He says that he's fortunate to live in one of the finest houses," Alice mumbled softly and swallowed hard. "If you start, Bells, I will, too." She blinked a few times but then cleared her throat. "He has lost his wife – they were married for long but he's not entirely sure when he lost her, since the internecine war started, he has lost track of time. In the beginning, he kept count by the shooting that occurred every day at noon, but first his clock stopped and then the shooting… he doesn't know the time anymore."

Bella shook her head. "Do you have any children, Mr. Nnamani?"

This time Alice laughed at the man's response. "He has three or four but for all he knows, they all look the same because his eyesight isn't what it used to be, he has begun to call them all 'dear', boy or girl, so he hopes that they all still come to visit." She grinned as the man smiled a big, bright and toothless smile.

All of them laughed out loud at this and Bella shook her head. This article she had been working on for the past two weeks only needed this, _hope_, and then it would be finished to send into the station to print in their paper and mention in the segment. Keeping up appearances. And she had majored in literature after all.

She had written about the lack of proper food and water, something apparent in this man's thin and worn body. She had included horror stories and sad facts. But she needed to let people see that there were something worth saving, that people still _lived_here and needed support from the rest of the world. Bella wanted to humanize her article.

"Thank you, Mr. Nnamani," she whispered and squeezed his hands. "Thank you."

They said their goodbyes and as Emmett got up to leave, he slipped his silver wristwatch off and put in the older man's hand as he shook it, something marred Em's features then that he rarely let anybody see, vulnerability.

**«O»**

As usual, they gathered around a small fire when the dark closed around them, a guitar was thrust in Bella's hands and demanding voices called out for their favorite songs, Seth's camera was in place in front of his face and they all lolled against each other, the occasional log someone had dragged up, or splayed out over the ground.

They all got a sense of familiarity, a sense of home and a sense of not being alone.

Sometimes, it was hard to distinguish who it was across the fire for the flame rose so high to the sky, but still, they felt closer than ever in these moments. Younger than ever.

"What tonight?" asked Bella and let her fingers fall over the strings, sending a soft sound out between them in this seemingly desolate place.

Sam whom she was leaning against chuckled once. "If I remember correctly, girlie, you owed us something about shoes."

Alice burst out laughing, this was an old joke between them, it had been going on since before Seth joined. "Those shoes _really_ weren't make for walkin'!" she teased, remembering back to the time they all didn't know each other too well but had been forced to find trust in each other. It was also the first time they had seen Bella Swan in heels. The graceful and sexy woman had staggered down the stairs of the ballroom, muttering profanities. That same night, as they began a shy tradition, this was the song Alice had demanded as Bella threw the damned things into the fire.

"Oh, fuck off." Let the first notes of 'Face Down' sway through the air and each and every one of them exhaled at the same time.

And then they laughed away the stress for the moment, just enjoying the fact that they were all still okay to live through another day.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** There we go, chapter 1 all done and stuff. What did you think? Are you scared? Are you wondering what the heck is going on? Well, like I said. Give it time… and yes, Edward will come in, right now he's standing with the ear pressed against the door but we'll let him stumble in sooner or later.


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or the characters those rights belong to Stephanie Meyer._

**A/N:** Well, this chapter is filled with information in its most disturbing form, however, I'm certain that at least the end of it will leave you the least bit excited! ;)

Thank you **Sunflower3759** for cleaning up my mess - I left a big one for you, I'm really grateful!

I hope that the holidays are treating you nicely!

**-** _Soph_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

As the spring sun was beginning to peek over the New York skyline, the citizens of this great city began to hesitantly wear skirts and shorter sleeves, but Bella and Emmett were wrapped in thick materials, several layers deep. They had literally just stumbled off the plane and tumbled into a waiting cab that was taking them directly to the _Black News _building_. _The second they stepped into the studio, eyes followed them everywhere. In this building, they were spoken of with awe, and the perceptual stares that now trailed their every move, made the tired Bella very uneasy.

However, she couldn't help but smile as a loud squeal sounded, girly and ecstatic, full with energy and force. A pair of strong arms suddenly wrapped themselves around her and embraced her tightly. "You're here!" Rosalie said happily into Bella's ear as she hugged her, then Rosalie threw herself backward, cupping Bella's face with that maternal, serious look she had perfected over the years. Her brow furrowed as she took Bella in. "You are too skinny…" her eyes narrowed. "And you need some serious sleep."

The fact that they stood in the middle of the newsroom didn't bother Rosalie, this was after all _her s_et, the place where she was irreplaceable. The room was cluttered with electrical cords that were meandering along the floor, duct tape holding it in place. Papers were scattered everywhere and people dressed in dark clothes littered every available chair. Those that weren't sitting, were running around, their eyes haunted by stress and most were faces stern, deep in concentration.

Everything in this room, was set up for one reason. Every chair, desk and camera, including most of the people, were pointed towards the wall across the room where a big, bright desk stood alone... _Rosalie's_ desk.

As Bella's eyes dragged away from Rose's concerned face, she snorted. In a corner a big banner still hung, proudly stating that the Giants won the Super Bowl this year, around it was glitter that still needed to be swept off the floor, and the armchairs emptied of the occasional party hat.

This might have been Rosalie's indemnifying space, the place where she belonged… but Bella was just simply _out_ of place in this environment. Thankfully, Bella had been in this room on very few occasions as an employee of _Black News. _Carlisle made sure that she was assigned to places where she was needed for _other purposes_, therefore, she didn't have to return to base very often. Her face was forwarded via the news back to her country, and via Rosalie to the people of America. And, of course, Hem.

Bella wasn't the only one who didn't touch down here often, the same went for the rest of her team. None of them belonged in these surroundings… well, maybe Seth. She could actually see the young man lolling in one of the chairs with his cap pulled down, and feet on a table, oblivious to the stress around him.

Emmett inhaled and laughed breathily. "The skinny might be because she shares her lunch with every dog nearby, I swear, it's like watching Dr. Dolittle," he said with a smile… towards the floor. Emmett was scratching his neck and glancing up every now and then, grinning uncomfortably as Rose gave him an onceover with a wrinkled brow.

The way the two of them circled around each other always made Bella laugh, Rosalie was evasive and tried to play it cool, while Emmett was uncomfortable and tried to make her laugh. They met through Bella years ago. Rosalie had claimed the self-conscious and lonely brunette as her best friend the last semester of college when she moved into the dorm next door. Both girls had steered away from the crowds and eventually, ended up in the center of attention, which they held most nights of the week – at least Rosalie did, while Bella preferred written reports to the spotlight.

Emmett and Rosalie have been doing this odd dance since the day they met, him chasing her until she was ready to be caught, this was when he backed off again. If Bella hadn't known the brawny man better, she would have thought that he was in it for the chase only.

"Emmett," Rosalie said sharply while giving him a tight smile. "It's nice to have you back." Her voice focused on being professional, but you could see the joy in her eyes, and hear the happiness in her voice. It was not often Emmett McCarty blushed, but the last part that left Rosalie's red lips sent his face into a brilliant crimson. A slightly strangled noise got stuck in his throat and his gaze fell even closer to his shoes.

She then turned her eyes back to Bella, her hands still placed on the dark-haired girl's cheeks. Rose's beautiful face lit up again as she once more drew her friend into a hug, giving off strength as she did. "Stay with me, fuck the hotel. "

Bella hugged her friend close and breathed in the energy that was Rosalie King, the face of New York. Every evening, she delivered the news from one of the top stations in the country, calm, yet still inviting. Passionately loved and equally hated. Rosalie was gorgeous, smart and had a wicked sense of humor. Bella had not felt at home until her loving best friend had grounded her.

Nevertheless, she needed space, breathing room… a possibility not to guard her every move since Carlisle, without a doubt would be calling. Rosalie didn't know more than Jacob Black about Bella and Emmett's job.

She squeezed her friend a bit tighter and then stepped away. "Thank you, Rose, but I've slept in a single bed with Seth snoring above me, and Em-" she sent him a pointed and playful glare. "- and Sam snoring next to me and let's not forget about Alice farting in the corner all night. I really need some room for just me… I need that fluffy hotel for my sanity."

Emmett had flushed even brighter and kicked the ground, all of a sudden completely mesmerized by a cord that ran along the floor and then disappeared in under a wall.

"And you are not trying to pull your selfless bull?" asked Rosalie defiantly, looking her friend up and down as she tried to decide what to believe and then nodded. "Fine", Rosalie said, "but the first day you stay in a robe and ignore your goddamn jeans and t-shirts, I'm officially kicking you out of there. No hotel robes, huh!" Bella nodded firmly, the compendious little speech didn't need more explaining. She was not allowed to hide herself, even if those thoughts never surfaced anymore, Rosalie always made sure that Bella never again slipped back into that self-loathing state of mind.

Suddenly, a short and very sweaty little man hurried past them, practically elbowing Emmett to push through and get by. "Rose, on the air in five!" he panted and kept wiping his forehead frantically.

Bella grinned at her friend and then nodded. "Good luck, not that you need it!" She took a small step back but Rosalie kept her hands on Bella's shoulders. "No robes, promise! You're beautiful," Rose said softly and then smirked, opening her mouth to say something but they were interrupted by another deep inhale from Emmett.

He had obviously found something to say again, "It's not easy for the rest of us either!" he threw out his arms but refused to look up from the floor, making Rosalie and Bella exchange a confused look. "You rambled in your sleep… you know…" his voice was almost _timid_ and Bella snorted. Emmett's eyes kept flickering to Rosalie who just rolled hers, shaking her head.

Emmett had grown more and more uncomfortable the longer they knew each other, he was the one who had decided that nothing should happen between them. Emmett was rarely home and he was too aware of the fact that one of these days, he might not come back. Of course, he couldn't explain this to Rose's face. Instead of doing anything, he kept watch over her from afar – which also was how he best communicated with her. Rose on the other hand, played hard to get. Which seemed incredibly unnecessary ,since they more often than not, were several continents apart.

All of a sudden, a voice they were all maybe _too_ familiar with, rang out from the other side of the room. Bella bit her cheek to keep from smirking. "Rosalie!"

Nobody turned to look at the source of this voice except a few of the news crew that milled in the room. Rosalie just rolled her eyes, and then fixed Bella with her stare. "Get some sleep, girl."

"KING!" Jacob Black now bellowed loudly, the smaller man that had passed them earlier flinched palpably and the papers in his hands scattered, sending him into a frenzy as he dropped to his knees and clawed them into a messy pile. Get that tight ass into that fucking chair befo-" this was as far as he got before Emmett stood taller, silently daring him to continue to speak to Rosalie in that manner. He seemed to finally had found a role to fill in this room, protector of Rosalie King's honor. One look at Emmett's impressive form and Jacob magically shut up.

Rosalie sighed and patted Emmett's chest twice, her eyes lingering a little longer than normal on his face before she kissed Bella's cheek and walked off while scowling at Jake.

As the tall Jacob walked towards them, Emmett chuckled. "You almost want to hum 'Here Comes The Bride' when he walks."

"Aw, crushing hard are we?" Bella snickered and punched Emmett's arm, grimacing slightly. "I need to learn…" she muttered and glared at him but then grinned. She leaned her head against his shoulder for a moment, her energy was dwindling, Emmett had slept on the plane but she had been unable to relax enough to even feel slightly rested.

Suddenly, Jake's sweaty palm was thrust out in front of them, quickly shaking both of their hands before he clasped his own behind his back and tried to stretch up taller. "Swan, not dead yet I see. Gotten yourself shot lately?" his face was clad in a fairly expressionless mask, but he never managed to empty his eyes of emotion, nor did the grating of his teeth do any good. "McCarty," he growled.

Jacob Black was once a handsome man, but now his once striking face was hollowed out, and his eyes dulled. His otherwise rather imposing height did nothing anymore, since his suit was hanging around his now thinning body like a tent. Only a shadow of the confident and handsome man remained. The name of his father weighed heavily down on this man who barely had hit his early thirties.

Emmett, in his habitual way, when it came to Jake, smirked smugly and crossed his arms while flexing. "How's daddy?"

Jake grimaced but Bella suddenly smiled and looked around. "Yeah, where's Hem?" she asked the son whose father was the founder of _Black News…_ and nicknamed after Ernest Hemingway.

"Billy is in DC visiting some old friend for the week," Jacob said courtly and glanced behind him. "Excuse me." Then he strode off again, directing his anger towards a poor, mousy girl in glasses who looked absolutely terrified.

"Big bully," Emmett muttered. Bella raised her eyebrows as she met his eyes, and then patted his still flexed arms knowingly. "Hotel?"

"Please," Bella mumbled and held back a yawn, waving to Rosalie as the countdown in the room began. "C'mon Hercules."

«O»

After nearly fifteen hours of sleep, Bella finally opened her eyes to the hotel room. Everything was light and clean, the bed was more comfortable than she could remember any bed ever being. She let a huge yawn out and stretched her body.

Emmett had a room in the same hotel but they had barely spoken. Even with his hours of sleep on the plane, he, too, felt the impact of their work wearing down on him and wanted to disconnect with reality for a few hours.

Bella swung her legs over the side of the bed, it was almost eleven o'clock in the morning and usually, she would have been up and about long since. Now her feet lazily carried her over to one of her bags and she dug out her laptop. She wanted to chat with Alice for a few minutes before the day started. Technically, this was her vacation, but to let go of her work too much ,could be more dangerous than helpful. She needed to be ready when the time came, whenever that might be. In the past, Carlisle had interrupted their vacations after merely a few days, _many_ times.

She typed Alice a quick email since her friend wasn't online and then looked around. The hotel had a gym which she would be using regularly, since she was addicted to the endorphins. But right now, her stomach grumbled for food and this lead her down to the restaurant after a quick change of clothes. Emmett met her in the elevator, a deep crease had ingrained itself between his brows and Bella grabbed his hand. "He'll be fine," she mumbled and squeezed. "We'll find him, and then Carlisle's men will get him out of there, you'll see."

Emmett met her eyes with one of his rare, completely serious expressions. "Do you really think that we have time for that? It's been weeks already, Bells. We won't be able to get close to any of the crucial people in less than a month – he won't be alive when we get there." Bella couldn't take how resigned Emmett sounded, the man with insatiable belief in the goodness of the world was slowly giving up.

"I promise that I'll find him for you Em." She wrapped her arms around him and laid her ear against his heart, quietly promising the steady thumping that she would not come back at all, if that was what it took. "He _will_ be okay," she mumbled, just as much for her own sake as for his.

The elevator doors slid open in front of them and two more people strolled in, pushing the already glowing button for the ground floor. They glanced curiously at the two embracing each other, but not for long. If the aging couple recognized Bella, they made no show of it.

Bella snorted softly as the woman barked at the man to comb his – for an observer of the party – seemingly perfect hair and correct his tie. Her mouth was tight and eyes hard as she looked at Bella and Emmett embracing each other, clearly disapproving of their casualties.

Emmett seemed to relax slightly as they were one floor over the ground level, and then chuckled. "C'mon lover – let's have some banger with a side of poached, steaming eggs!" His voice was dripping with a suggestive, sexual proposal and he said it loud enough for the older couple to turn to him with wide-eyed expressions. When they did, Emmett waggled his eyebrows, causing the older lady to gasp. Bella stepped back and tried not to look at the horrified older gentleman whose eyes flickered between the woman and Emmett's fist that was waiting for a bump.

Bella couldn't coax him out of the elevator fast enough as the doors opened. "You can slice my toast any day!" Emmett then bellowed and winked at the poor couple that made no move out of the elevator, even though they, too, had been heading for the ground floor. As the door closed Emmett tossed an arm around Bella's shoulders and steered them towards the restaurant. "So, seriously, sausage and eggs?"

"You have no shame," Bella stated ,but smiled. As long as Emmett was making bad jokes and mildly harassing older people, she did not have to worry herself too much.

"I really don't."

As they arrived in the restaurant, most people were dropping in for lunch. Bella had called Rosalie who lived nearby to join them for _breakfast_ and now the blonde sat by herself at a corner table, reading some papers with a slightly furrowed brow.

And suddenly, Emmett did have shame.

Rosalie looked up at them in askance as they pulled out chairs on the other side of the table. "How could you not tell me this?" she asked and tied her hair up from her face.

"Good morning to you, too. What didn't I tell you?" Bella crossed her arms and leaned back, something hazardous was playing in Rose's eyes.

Rosalie slammed the papers down on the table, scaring the waiter that had been heading their way, to go in the other direction. "When you said you were heading _back_ I thought that you meant to where you came from – not into the hellhole where they tried to blow your leg off!" she sneered and glared accusingly at Bella, but a clear hint of fear was displayed in Rosalie's eyes.

Bella sighed and unfolded her arms, rubbing her hands against her jean clad thighs. "It was an accident, shit happens – it was a crossfire, bullets fly."

"Yeah? 'Cause I've done some digging! And from what I can tell, that bullet didn't miss someone else Bells, it simply missed _your_ head!" Bella glanced at Emmett and tried to keep from begging her friend to stop digging before it was too late. "It's too dangerous to be a journalist on their soil, you can chase tornados here, no need to run abroad chasing crazy dictators," Rosalie hissed and both of Bella's and Emmett's eyes snapped to her.

"W-what?" Bella tried to stabilize her voice.

Rosalie heaved a sigh and clasped her hands on the table to calm herself. "Give me some credit, Bells. You keep going back to that godforsaken town and Jake-"

"Oh, conspiring with Jake, now are we?" Surprisingly, this came from Emmett.

"- heard Hem mention that you have met him on several occasions!" She bored her eyes into Emmett. "If you don't want me _conspiring_ with Jake, then you tell me what's going on." It was more what was behind that dare , that either Bella or Emmett risked touching. "How come you have never written or told anybody about these encounters with-" her voice dropped to a whisper, "Volturi?"

Bella flinched and grabbed Emmett's hand under the table. "Need to know, Rose." She hated doing this to her best friend. However, telling Rose anything was out of the question. And strictly against Carlisle's rules.

"I just don't get it! If you're not doing a story on the guy – and don't insult me by trying to deny it," she glared at Bella who closed her mouth. "You are not doing a story on him, Jake is furious – he called me in last night after the show and he wanted to do a segment with it – it's amazing things you can say about this guy. Everybody knows them but they need details – details we don't but _you _do have, I'm sure of it. You're a journalist, Bella!"

_No, I'm not, _Bella wanted to say but she kept those words in.

"It's your job to report the truth and carry it out to the people, this is what we do. What could you possibly have on the guy? Because I bet it's big enough to ruffle some feathers." Rosalie looked pissed as she sipped on her water.

Emmett had finally grown a pair as he leaned forward, meeting Rose's eyes with a glare. "That's _exactly_ what you _don't _want to do. Like you described him, Aro Volturi is a crazy, power mad dictator and you're right, you don't know _shit _about him. Trust me, you don't want to know, because the second you do, a giant bullseye will be placed on your forehead, and you wouldn't be smart enough to duck."

Bella started to wonder if this had more to do with the fact that Rosalie was speaking to Jake than anything else. Emmett was right, Aro was crazy, she shuddered at the sheer thought of him and what he had tried to do to her. Rosalie couldn't be digging into it. She shouldn't.

"Then wh-"

Bella cut her friend off, "_Need. To. Know_," she repeated, weighing down on each word. She couldn't trivialize this situation because the man who held the center of it could not under any circumstances be made unimportant.

"And obviously I don't." Rosalie groaned, but seemed to understand to drop it ,and then waved over the waiter who quickly took their mumbled orders. "Look," Rosalie said when the man had left. "I know that Hem and you hide things from the rest of us, probably for our own safety – I don't know and sometimes…" Rosalie frowned and stared at the tabletop. "Sometimes I frankly think that it's better that way. On the other hand, if you get yourself hurt again…" she lifted her eyes and forced a smile upon her face and a lighter tone to her voice. "I'll kill you."

Bella smiled tentatively and glanced at Emmett at the same time Rosalie did. "Not smart enough?" Rosalie said, seeming oddly happy about this fact. She met Emmett's eyes dead on, and raised an eyebrow. Emmett jutted his chin out slightly but he was – once again – giving up when it came to Rose, and she realized this too. Whatever had been a possibility to the way they had been long ago, was suddenly gone.

The conversation after that was forced and strained, the girls trying to act as if nothing had happened and Emmett slowly sinking back into his insecure, Rosalie loving, a-second-away-from-giggling-like-a-girl state of mind.

"So, did you phone home yet?" Rosalie finally asked. Bella rolled her eyes but shook her head. "Naw, I spoke to tweedledee and tweedledum last week and their _quarrel_ was called off when Charlie was called out, animal attack again." She shrugged. Rosalie spoke more to Bella's parents than she did herself, after all, they made it clear long ago, that they would rather have her for a daughter any day.

Charlie Swan was a smalltime cop in an even smaller town. He sought perfection and had found it in his beautiful wife. Renee cared more about the color of her nails and the look of her hair than she cared if her daughter had found happiness. She demanded perfection on the surface, wanting Bella to always look _perfect_ , and Charlie demanded perfection on the inside, brains and grades. That was all that mattered.

To say that they were disappointed when their slightly overweight daughter failed in school was an understatement. Then, sweeping in from New York and becoming best friends with their daughter, Rosalie King took their breath away. Surprisingly enough, Bella had never held that against her. It was a relief to get the focus off of herself, and her parents were so was happy to have Rose in their lives. Therefore, everyone was a winner.

Too bad that they failed to see that their beautiful daughter became a beauty and a success, maybe for them, a little too late.

"Oh, no!" Bella laughed. "They had to _stop_ fighting? That's after all what they do best!"

Rosalie shook her head and smiled sadly. "But they don't have those _immature_ fights that they hear their neighbors have."

"No, no. They simply have small _quarrels_ to keep things interesting." Bella bit her lip and smiled, it had taken years for her to stop getting affected by her parents' thoughts. Speaking of, she glanced at Rose. "Have you spoken to Es, lately?"

Esme King. She was a surgeon in New York, the best neurosurgeon in the country, and she knew it. She had pushed her daughter to strive in whatever she chose to do with her life. Esme's God complex put as much of a weight on her daughter's shoulders as the Swan's expectations did to Bella's. Esme was sharp, smart and arrogant in a way that made everybody love her, look up to her and ask why her daughter didn't practice medicine.

And there it was, that small thorn of disapproval that had been shoved into Rosalie's side.

Esme had told Rose all of her life to become the best in whatever field she chose, but what she was really saying, was to become the best damned doctor she could be.

Rosalie met Bella's eyes and lifted her glass of water. "To the disapproving, neglecting and demanding, oxymoron parents of ours."

**«O»**

Bella winched as her phone set off loudly just as she closed the door to her room. She growled as she fished it from her pocket and answered, knowing that it only could be one person on the other end. "Yeah?"

The room looked as she had left it since the 'no cleaning' sign hung outside. This was a precaution she always took when living in a hotel, not wanting someone to go through her stuff. The trust issues might have started with Renee, but they had been thoroughly watered by the nature of her job.

"Swan," Carlisle said, he must have been speaking to several people at the same time, Bella noted as she heard him address someone in the background. "There."

Bella walked to sit down by the counter that also worked as a table. "What? Are you spying on us these days? Should I call Seth and have him close the curtains at night?" She took the receipt from the restaurant out of her pocket and snatched a pencil from a cup by the wall. Mindless doodling was necessary when speaking to Carlisle.

"I'm hardly _spying_," Carlisle sneered and the sound of a door closing floated over the line. "I'm keeping watch over you since we need you to be safe until you go, no need for the dramatics, Isabella."

The lead from the pencil made a dark blob on the small paper as she pushed it down, inhaling slowly. "But only until we get in the air, right?"

"Don't make this harder than it is."

Bella sighed and tossed the pencil down, leaning back. "Well I'm going to. Rosalie King and Jacob fucking Black – mostly the latter," she added as she felt guilt for selling her best friend out. Rosalie didn't know that Carlisle existed, and she wanted to keep it that way. "They have been digging and apparently come across some shit."

She could hear Carlisle take a deep breath and then mutter something that wasn't meant for her ears. "Why?" he demanded to know then.

"Beats me, they're journalists, they sniff out the truth, damned be the consequences." Bella grimaced and massaged her neck with her free hand.

"What do they have, Swan?" Carlisle's voice was unceremoniously asking for no bullshit.

"Aro."

"Tell Hem to hurry the fuck up!" Carlisle called out loudly, this time not even bothering to cover the mike on his phone. Bella groaned at the loud noise but kept her mouth shut. "Finally. Swan, I'm going to put you on speaker."

"Bella, how are you, sweetheart?" Billy Black wondered, sounding so fatherly that Bella's heart clenched in her chest.

She smiled as she said, "Billy! I'm good, how are the legs?"

"As good as new, Bells, as good as new."

"And my heart is crying. Billy can walk – with a cane but nevertheless. Isabella is back and intact. It's your son that's the problem, Billy."

Billy tried to sound insouciant as he laughed it off with, "Jake? He can't do anything to mess up this." But the incredulous tone in his voice wasn't directed towards Carlisle.

"Then get him to stop digging before I send his ass on a plane with the rest of them! He'll end up six feet under if he doesn't stop. Aro has people in New York, hell, he has people everywhere. If word gets out or if they stumble over the wrong information online, they are as good as dead." Carlisle's voice took a softer tone. "We promised long ago that Aro should never again be allowed to take a life, maybe it's time we make good of that promise."

"They?"

Bella stepped in before Carlisle could. "Rosalie King, she's way too public, too. I've asked her to stop digging but I honestly don't think that she will without an explanation."

"How did they even get wind of Aro? I know people are investigating him and he's known by everybody… who put them up to digging facts on _him_ in the first place?" Billy muttered.

"Jake made the connection, we've been going to that damned place over and over for some time now, with or without a crisis, and the orders _never _come for his ears to hear, only the finished product. I guess that he got curious."

"That's what makes him a pain in the ass," Carlisle muttered, practically echoing Bella's thoughts.

"That's what makes him a good reporter!" Billy snarled.

"What did I say?" Carlisle chuckled and then inhaled slowly. "Isabella," he sounded truly concerned as he asked, "How's Emmett hanging in there? Will he be okay to go or do we need to leave him out? Honestly, I'm getting _suggestions_ from every fucking direction here. They want him out for this one."

Bella didn't think twice about it. Emmett would go whether it was with them or not. If he got closed out of this one, he would head there himself. _He_ wouldn't make an irresponsible decision. Bella would make sure of it. "He's good."

Carlisle seemed to accept this reassurance. "Good… now… Billy, I need to speak to Isabella in private for a moment, so if you wouldn't mind…" Bella frowned.

"Sure, talk to you later, Bells, and be careful. Send Emmett my regards."

Bella barely got a word out before Carlisle shut off the speaker and then began, "I have a favor to ask of you."

This, she couldn't help but laugh at. "Really? That's rich. Do you remember when you give us vacation or is that just to sound good?"

"Actually, this doesn't have anything to do with work… although, technically it does but…" Carlisle heaved a sigh. "It's about my nephew, actually."

"You have a nephew? I always thought that you were incarnated from some dark mass somewhere." Bella heard him chuckle at this and was quite surprised that he had reacted with humor.

"He used to be an actor, you might have heard of him… wasn't that successful, though. Edward Cullen?"

Bella frowned. She had heard of him, of course she had. He had one amazing movie, he had played a tortured soul an managed to touch everybody deeply. His words had been tortured, his expression… he was brilliant. However, that was all he could play, sad characters, tortured and deep. He tried one comedy and was forever ruined. That was the last Bella had heard of him. "Yeah?" she asked cautiously.

"He's writing, quite good if I may say so. But now… he needs to do some research on his next project and as it happens, you would be a very good source." Bella couldn't believe her ears… was Carlisle truly willing to risk everything… for his nephew? Something didn't add up.

"Where are you going with this?" She picked up the pencil again and squeezed it in her hand.

"He will be in New York for a few days and I was wondering… if you couldn't help him out… just answering a few questions." This time, it was _Carlisle_ who sounded tortured. "Believe me, Isabella, this is not something I really want for you, but I trust you and simply tell him – from a journalist's perspective – how it is to live your life. Answer all his questions as truthfully as you can."

Bella gnawed on her lip. "It sounds risky."

"You speak to all of your friends about being a war correspondent, don't you?"

She sighed, she did. And she hated each and every one of the lies she served them. "Of course, but they need to know something. Why don't you tell him? You had the same job as I have, once."

"Not on paper, I was never a journalist – not even as a cover. And… I don't think that he wants to speak to me more than necessary. I will tell him to come to your hotel tomorrow at noon, will that be okay?"

"This will be on you if I fuck up," Bella muttered, decisively deciding to do it. "Fine."

"Thank you." She was a bit taken aback by his gratefulness but didn't comment on it, not that she would have a chance to, either. "Bye, Swan."

"Conceited, manipulative ass…" Bella rubbed her temples. She was not sure of what had happened, how she could have been convinced by that almost _vulnerable_ tone in Carlisle's voice to do this. A former actor, future author, was coming into her hotel room the next day. Sure, she would rather have it that way than to meet in a restaurant where he would, without a doubt would be recognized, but still.

Edward Cullen hadn't been an active actor in about two years, but he had a look that wouldn't be forgotten, famous or not. Them being seen together would only make it worse. Bella tossed the phone on the counter and sighed.

This was going to be a very long vacation.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** See, Edward! I came through after all. I hope that you enjoyed it and if you have the time and words, feel free to leave a review to tell me what you think so far. :)

- Soph


End file.
